


I’ve missed you, too

by rhysands_highlady



Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Canon Universe, During Canon, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:34:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24880063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhysands_highlady/pseuds/rhysands_highlady
Summary: Aloy visits Meridian and sneaks into the Palace of the Sun
Relationships: Aloy/Avad (Horizon: Zero Dawn)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 50





	I’ve missed you, too

**Author's Note:**

> this got more angsty than i intended but it is what it is with alvad

Aloy took a deep breath as she entered Meridian, nodding to the guards she recognised as she did so. It was always so loud in the city, but she’d become used to it, all of the voices talking at once. She glanced to the right as she passed under an arch, down the bridge that led to the Palace of the Sun. She swallowed and turned to the left

She was here on business first and foremost. One of the merchants had offered her a nice reward if she brought him some metal flowers. She’d found the last one on the mesa with Nil. She frowned as she thought of him and their last meeting, but shook it off as she approached Kudiv.

The merchant was very pleased with her findings and handed her a decently sized box in exchange for the flowers. She stuffed it into her pack, opting to open it later. 

As Aloy walked through the city, she heard the usual bartering and arguing and gossip. She bought some food and sat on a bench outside the temple as she ate and contemplated if she would go to the palace or not.

As much as she hated to admit it, Aloy missed Meridian when she was away… missed it’s people, including the Sun-King himself. She gnawed on her bread for a while longer before she made up her mind. 

Dervahl had found a way to sneak into the palace. Aloy figured it was probably being guarded nowadays. If it was, she’d turn back and leave the city once more, but if it wasn’t… well, she didn’t really think that far ahead. 

She finished up her food and brushed off her clothes before heading towards the edge of the mesa. Having done so before when tracking the Oseram man, Aloy climbed across to the aqueduct quite easily. There were, in fact, guards in the little room at the end of the waterway. 

However, none of them stopped her as she entered. They just stood up straighter and tapped their staffs on the ground. She nodded to them as she had those at the gates and continued on her way, her heart picking up speed, and not because of the physical exertion. 

Aloy reached the Solarium and found it mercifully empty. There was wine and fruit on the low table, as well as papers and writing utensils. It looked as if someone had just left and would be back any moment. 

Sure enough, she heard footsteps coming closer. She caught a glimpse of a headdress and ducked behind one of the screens, holding her breath. She heard Avad sigh as he presumably sat down on the sofa. 

Peeking around the screen, she saw she was right. She must’ve made some kind of noise because Avad turned slightly towards her. She sucked in a breath and bit her lip as she hid once more, berating herself for peeking, for coming here in the first place. 

Papers rustled, and Aloy released her breath in relief. It was fine. All she had to do was sneak back out the way she came. It couldn’t be too hard. It wasn’t like Avad was some deadly machine. It was fine. 

She crouched down and took a few steps towards the pathway she needed to take, but then gold, white, and red appeared in her vision. She squeezed her eyes shut. All-Mother bless her.

“Aloy, you know you can come in through the front gates,” Avad said, amusement lining his voice. She stood, trying not to glare at him. His eyes flickered as they trailed over her. She’d only bought this Blazon outfit recently. He’d never seen her in it. 

“Of course,” Aloy said, waving a hand. “I thought I’d, um, check that Dervahl’s secret entrance was being guarded. Turns out they’re just letting anyone in, I walked right past them.”

Avad rolled his eyes and beckoned her towards the couch. “They let you in because you saved the city, you saved me. You’re not just anyone, Aloy.”

She hesitantly sat down on the sofa, albeit some distance away from him. His eyes were soft, as they always were. She wished she could let herself stay here. She needed that softness in her life. 

“How are you?” Avad asked, more genuinely than anyone else she’d known. Aloy shrugged, looking out at the balcony. She wasn’t entirely sure how to answer. He hummed knowingly and sat back, draping his arms over the back of the couch. 

His eyes remained on her. She could feel them, even if she couldn’t bear to meet them. 

“I’ve had to say goodbye a lot in the past few months,” Aloy said quietly. “I don’t like goodbyes.”

Avad perked up. “Have you rethought my offer?” Aloy looked up at him, smiling sadly. 

“No, I—“ She shook her head and reached out to touch his hand. “It’s got nothing to do with you, I just… I need answers and I can’t find them from this city, no matter how beautiful it is.”

Avad nodded, his gaze fixed on the place their hands touched. “I’ve missed you,” he said after a while. 

_ I’ve missed you, too _ , her heart replied, though she couldn’t, wouldn’t voice those words. She pulled her hand away and cradled it in her other. 

“Carja fashion suits you,” Avad said, gesturing vaguely to her outfit. She noticed how his eyes flicked over her again, and how he dragged them back up to meet her gaze when she spoke.

“Hmm, tell that to the nobles giving me glares in the streets,” Aloy said. She’d been trying at humour, but Avad’s face darkened. He opened his mouth to speak, though Aloy cut in before he could get a word out. “I can handle it myself. It’s nothing new.”

Avad frowned. “You shouldn’t have to handle it. By the Sun, you saved their lives and they’re too petty and shallow to look past your appearance.” 

Part of her liked the idea of him defending her, the other raged against the idea of being tied down. She stood abruptly. 

“I should go.”

Avad smiled wistfully. “Oh, I know. Machines to hunt, people to save… Good luck, Aloy.”


End file.
